    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [December 6, 2004]
    [Pages 3050-3051]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Letter to Congressional Leaders on the ``Intelligence Reform and
    Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004''
    December 6, 2004

    Dear Leaders and Conferees:
        My most solemn duty is protecting the American people, and reforming
    and strengthening our Nation's intelligence capabilities will help
    ensure the safety of our country. I call on Congress to pass an
    intelligence reform bill this week. An overarching principle for these
    needed reforms has been to create a strong Director of National
    Intelligence with full budget authority while preserving the chain of
    command within departments and agencies. We are very close to a
    significant achievement that will better protect our country for
    generations to come, and now is the time to finish the job for the good
    of our national security. Therefore, I want to reiterate my views on
    some issues of concern to Members.
        When I met with the Congressional Bipartisan Leadership at the White
    House on September 8, 2004, I stated that the country needed a strong
    Director of National Intelligence with full budget authority. At the
    same time, I have stated that we need a bill that respects the chain of
    command within departments and agencies, including the Department of
    Defense, so as to ensure that all of the war-fighters' needs will be
    met. As Commander-in-Chief, it is ultimately my responsibility to ensure
    that both of these goals are realized, and they are captured in the
    attached formulation.
        Accordingly, in developing implementing guidelines and regulations
    for this bill, it is my intention to ensure that the principles of unity
    of command and authority are fully protected. It remains essential to
    preserve in the heads of the executive departments the unity of
    authority over and accountability for the performance of those
    departments. In particular, as we continue to prosecute the global war
    on terrorism, the integrity of the military chain of command and the
    principle of battlefield unity of command must continue to be respected
    and in no way abrogated. These guidelines will also honor my commitment
    to provide the Director of National Intelligence full and meaningful
    budget authority over the National Intelligence Program. This is
    critical to make certain that the intelligence community is more
    effectively managed. The guidelines will also help ensure that the
    Director of National Intelligence has enhanced management authorities,
    including the ability to oversee and integrate all the foreign and
    domestic activities of the intelligence community, to achieve the unity
    of purpose needed to win the global war on terrorism.
        With regard to other provisions in the legislation, I want to
    congratulate the Conference for adopting important and time-sensitive
    law enforcement provisions that:

         Strengthen current laws to make certain we can arrest those
                aiding terrorists, including those who have received
                military-style training in terror camps.

         Increase our ability to target terrorism financing.

         Ensure that dangerous terrorists are lawfully detained
                while awaiting trial.

         Help prevent attacks by shoulder-fired anti-aircraft
                missiles, known as MANPADs, and weapons of mass destruction
                by mandating appropriate penalties.

         Provide authority to help stop ``lone wolf'' terrorists.

         Expand our jurisdiction to prosecute those who seek weapons
                of mass destruction.

         It is imperative that Congress act this week to guarantee
                these vital tools become part of our arsenal immediately.

    [[Page 3051]]

        I also believe the Conference took an important step in
    strengthening our immigration laws by, among other items, increasing the
    number of border patrol agents and detention beds. There were other
    measures proposed that were not incorporated into the bill. My positions
    on these provisions were detailed in a letter from the Office of
    Management and Budget to Conferees on October 17, 2004. However, these
    omissions from the final bill should not prevent the Congress from
    passing this historic legislation now. I look forward to working with
    the Congress early in the next session to address these other issues,
    including improving our asylum laws and standards for issuing driver's
    licenses.
        I appreciate all the work done to date by this Congress and the
    September 11th Commission. These are some of the most challenging,
    complicated, and important issues facing our government. The Leaders and
    Conferees deserve great credit for working together to protect the
    safety of the American people.
             Sincerely,

                                                              George W. Bush

    Note: The letter made available by the Office of the Press Secretary
    also included an attachment listing guidelines to ensure the effective
    implementation within the executive branch of the authorities granted to
    the Director of National Intelligence. An original was not available for
    verification of the content of this letter. The letter referred to S.
    2845.